Doctorate in Education/Professional Studies

Designed to allow experienced professionals (particularly those in full-time practice) to pursue a Doctoral level programme relevant to their professional interests. The programme consists of two integrated parts: a substantial taught element provides a coherent structure and prepares students for engagement with manageable independent research concerning issues arising from professional practice. Suitable for professionals working in a wide variety of contexts: school teachers, lecturers in higher or further education, and educators in a variety of professional settings.

This programme has been created to share the department's internationally recognised and wide-ranging expertise with senior professionals working in education. While providing opportunities for you to pursue personal interests, it has a common core of theory, research training and research designed specifically for professionals at work. It is therefore significantly different from the traditional doctorate and more attuned to the needs of the career professional seeking to develop their career through enhanced research capacity.

The programme aims to promote understanding of the nature, development and evaluation of professional knowledge, to develop critical awareness of implications of policies for practice and to develop high level research skills. Four components are studied sequentially as each leads on to and informs the subsequent part.

In the taught component you will explore issues of professional knowledge common to all participants, acquire relevant research skills and link theoretical issues to your specialist interests. These should also reflect the academic expertise in the department. The institution-focused study looks at professionalism in practice: you will examine problems and issues relating to being a professional in an institutional setting, normally your own. You will be supervised by a member of the department with input, where appropriate, from a staff member in your institution. The research-based thesis usually involves an empirically based study in your specialist area. It may, where appropriate, follow on from the institution-focused study. You will be supervised by a specialist from King's academic staff.